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JohnOSU99
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we are just going to have to agree to disagree, brutus.  I have no emotional investment in this case, meaning if ohio state football went away forever, i would move on.  and thats not singling out Ohio state, any football or really any sport.  So just from a perspective of,  Ohio State is trying to sell all these wonderful things, high moral compass, prestige, educational greatness,...ya know... things the University of Michigan was always considered.  But in the end, whats most important is football...thats why im criticizing the University for being frauds.  Meyer, i can have my opinion on him now without any influence.  I dont care if hes the coach or not...hes about himself and his image

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The fact that Ohio State released the report AFTER the press conference was cowardly, even Louisville released the stripper-gate report before their press conference so the media was educated on the issues and knew which questions to ask.

 

Tribalism is rampant and it is completely clear in this case (as it was with Louisville fans last year). Ohio State fans think everything is fine, and are attacking the only true victim in the case because whatever is good for football success is all they care about. The entire rest of the country thinks this looks really bad for the University. The press conference was a complete embarrassment and Meyer is only sorry for himself; they should be forced to take "treat women with respect" off their locker room Core Values because it's a complete joke.

 

I'm fairly certain they released the report to the press immediately before the press conference.

 

No, they released the 23-page summary after the press conference was over.

 

Are you sure about that? I swear I saw reporters tweeting out screenshots of different sections of the report while the presser was going on.

^I understand what you are saying, and we will probably have to agree to disagree on this. My post did not really have anything to do with OSU or Meyer in particular, but solely when it came to managing the message. I was looking at it solely from the fact that there was a 25 page report loaded with details and information and you want to make sure that the details you want to get out are at least given the attention of the media (especially when there are a ton of media covering the story) You want their undivided attention and you do not want them distracted.

 

If you were leading the press conference, you would probably lead with "I am sorry, we screwed up, this is unacceptable and we will punish severely the people who let this happen and that they have been disassociated with the program going forward". You want people paying attention to this instead of parsing through the report and focusing on the minutiae in the report. THis way your message gets delivered stronger instead of being clouded by dozens of different reports

^ BelieveLand[/member] Time to step back away from the cliff here, or away from the Mt. Dew and assess why that is important to frame it first.

 

You can say "We screwed up"  or "we were 100% wrong" if that is the narrative you want to have people focus on. That is perfectly fine. But you want to make sure your narrative is the first thing heard.  if you release the report first, people start their own narratives and dissecting it and pulling out details that are not necessarily appropriate to the issue at hand. For example, by release the report you will could have the narrative that "Urban tried to erase his text messages" or "Zach Smith dropped out of rehab after 4 days and returned to the team" While those are details in the case, they should not overshadow the main narrative of "I'm Sorry" or "I messed up" if that is the detail you wish to lead on.

 

You don't want to have to address 40 other issues that are not central to the main theme, which is I'M Sorry. It is called managing the situation. It is not PR Spin, but it is how you manage a situation where you have the potential to have 1000 different stories from each individual reporter. You keep it under the bigger umbrella.

 

That's cute that you think the theme of the presser was "I'm sorry" / "I messed up."  The rest of us live in reality where that didn't happen.

 

That is cute that you don't read the post close enough to get the point.

 

I never said that was the theme of the presser. I was giving a reason why you want to control the narrative first before releasing the report to the general public. But go ahead and keep creating your false narratives.

 

K.

Very Stable Genius

They suspended Urban Meyer (and Gene Smith - sort of) fewer games than Pryor, Posey, etc. got for trading in gold pants and jerseys for tattoos.

 

There was WAY more to those suspensions than just getting free tattoos.  Alumni were handing these guys envelopes full of cash.  Driving around in new cars on loan from dealerships.  Unexplained cushy no-show jobs.

That went all the way back to Clarett and the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Edition Monte Carlo "extended demo".

Remind me again why I'm not on twitter? 

 

Zach Smith goes nuts, see it for yourself:

https://twitter.com/CoachZachSmith?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

 

He's putting his kids up as human shields and playing all sorts of Trump games. 

 

I don't know about all that.  He definitely comes across as crazy but I think he's basically saying "hey media, you came & blasted out this story without all the facts and my children have been put through hell because of it".

43688443504_19c3fd321c_b_d.jpg

 

The Dispatch's preview of the 2018 OSU football season was aptly summarized with an "Eye of the Storm" headline and a paragraph referencing the off-the-field issues that engulfed the team's preseason run up to the 2018 opener.  But the 2018 season does begin today.  And those on-the-field questions for the #5 ranked Buckeyes will begin to be answered, beginning with today's game hosting Oregon State.

 

Below is an on-the-field look at the 2018 Buckeye football team:

 

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018/08/95675/2018-season-preview-ohio-states-upcoming-campaign-will-be-full-of-intriguing-storylines

Here is a position-by-position look at the 2018 Buckeyes - offense first:

 

QB:  https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018/08/95209/2018-season-preview-dwayne-haskins-leading-ohio-state-into-a-new-era-at-quarterback

 

It could almost begin and end with the QB recap.  As 11W puts it "For the first time since the 2012 season, Ohio State’s quarterback roster does not include J.T. Barrett - Ohio State’s all-time winningest starting quarterback finished his lengthy career as a Buckeye".  Redshirt junior Joe Burrow and redshirt sophomore Dwayne Haskins basically fought to a draw to be JT's replacement this spring.  However, with Joe Burrow graduating over the summer, he had some graduate transfers options - so he left OSU to become #25 LSU's starting QB.

 

This left Haskins as the presumptive starter.  He's a classic drop-back passer with some running/scrambling ability.  Highly touted but unproven - his main resume is his fourth quarter of play in last year's Michigan game, leading OSU to a come-from-behind victory.

 

Backing up Haskins is redshirt freshman Tate Martell - a dynamic dual-threat QB.  Because of this, Martell might work his way into some game play in some goal-line or short-yardage situations.  Beyond Martell, the Buckeyes don't have another ready-to-go backup.  Which is why former West Virginia quarterback Chris Chugunov joined the team as a graduate transfer.  Chugunov started the final two games from WV last season and has two remaining years of eligibility.

 

RB:  https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018-season-preview/2018/08/95255/2018-season-preview-jk-dobbins-and-mike-weber-will-be-a-two-headed-monster-for-ohio-state

 

JK Dobbins emerged as the top RB last season for the Buckeyes after Mike Weber started 2017 on the IR.  Both RB's are reportedly healthy going into 2018, so it will be interesting to see the work split between the two.  Both could be the sole starter and are similar body types and running styles.  We could see a planned rotation between the two.  Or a going with the hot runner strategy.  We could also see both runners break the 1000-yard mark this year - particularly since the QB position won't soak up much of that rushing yardage.  True freshman Master Teague III looks like the next man up on the depth chart (but is top's on the name front!)

 

WR:  https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018-season-preview/2018/08/95275/2018-season-preview-ohio-state-loaded-with-experience-depth-at-wide-receiver

 

Ohio State returns all six of its wide receivers who saw regular playing time last season – Parris Campbell, K.J. Hill, Terry McLaurin, Johnnie Dixon, Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor - and adds some new recruits as well.  They don't lack for talent and experience at WR.  New receivers coach Brian Hartline (former OSU great and NFL starter) was promoted into this spot after the dismissal of Zach Smith - which should be an upgrade in every conceivable way for the team!

 

TE:  https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018-season-preview/2018/08/95323/2018-season-preview-unproven-tight-ends-look-to-improve-ohio-states-production-at-the-position

 

The TE position has been a place where promising players have gone to fade away in recent seasons.  Maybe with a more classic pocket passer in Haskins, this position will regain some productivity.

 

OL:  https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018-season-preview/2018/08/95328/2018-season-preview-ohio-states-massive-offensive-line-features-depth-talent

 

The offensive line lost only two starters from last season's unit.  However, it was two key spots - center and left tackle.  The center spot will be filled by 6-foot-7 Michael Jordan, shifting over from left guard.  Jordan shifting from guard to center is following in the footsteps of back-to-back Rimington Trophy centers from the past two seasons - Pat Elflein and Billy Price.  The left tackle position is still unsettled as to who the full-time starter will be.

Here are the defensive and special team position-by-position look for the 2018 Buckeyes:

 

DL:  https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018-season-preview/2018/08/95373/2018-season-preview-ohio-states-defensive-line-expected-to-be-elite-once-again

 

The strength of last year's defense is expected to be the strength of this year's defense - despite losing three of four starters.  Fortunately, the lone returning starter is Nick Bosa - a 2017 All-American pick and likely future top 2 NFL pick.  Also fortunately, most of the new starters have played significant minutes because of the heavy rotation employed last season.  And they don't want for up-and-coming talent either.  True sophomore Chase Young is the opposite starting DT and might become this year's Sam Hubbard to Bosa.

 

LB:  https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018-season-preview/2018/08/95394/2018-season-preview-ohio-states-linebacking-corps-inexperienced-but-talented

 

The linebacking corps might be the biggest position question mark for the 2018 Buckeyes.  They lost two starters from last year.  And the third starter - middle linebacker Tuf Borland is recovering from an Achilles injury suffered in the Spring.  So lots of new faces in the three linebacking spots.  Highly recruited with promising talent, but still unproven.

 

DB:  https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018-season-preview/2018/08/95448/2018-season-preview-ohio-state-possesses-experience-depth-in-defensive-backfield

 

For the third straight year, the Buckeyes lost at least 2 DB starters from the previous season - usually to high first round picks in the NFL.  But over the past two seasons, the Buckeyes employed the next-man-up philosophy and keep at a high defensive level.  However, the loss of cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs, who left the program to accept a job with the Tennessee Titans (now coached by former OSU standout and assistant coach Mike Vrabel).  Coombs has authored this next-man-up success at OSU since 2012.  His departure could leave a big hole.

 

P/K:  https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018-season-preview/2018/08/95678/2018-season-preview-ohio-state-returns-a-starter-at-each-of-its-specialist-positions

 

When it comes to the kicker and punter positions, no news is usually good news.  And that is the case this season.  Fifth-year senior placekicker Sean Nuernberger returns.  Red shirt sophomore Drue Chrisman returns as the punter.  No complaints for either player at either position = good news.

GAME 1:  OHIO STATE 77 - OREGON STATE 31

 

http://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore?gameId=401012682

 

A blowout romp over Oregon State answered the Buckeye's offensive questions.  But giving up 31 points also left some defensive questions.

 

Offensively, Dwayne Haskins shined in his starting debut with a 22-30, 313 yd performance with 5 TDs and only 1 INT.  Mike Weber had a career performance with 186 yards on 20 carriers, 3 rushing TDs and 1 receiving TD.  Terry McLaurin led the receivers with 2 TDs and 121 yards.  Veteran KJ Hill had 82 yards on a team-leading 6 catches. 

 

Despite the 31 points and 392 yards given up by the defense, it wasn't all bad.  They did register a defensive TD on a QB blitz that caused a fumble and recovery in the endzone by Nick Bosa.  It was the second recovered fumble by Bosa, who also got 2 sacks.  DT Dre'Mont Jones also had 2 sacks.  And Oregon State only managed one sustained TD drive in the game.  Unfortunately, the Buckeye defense gave up 3 long TD plays - a 49yd pass in the 1st quarter and two long (78yd & 80yd) runs in the third quarter.  They'll need to tighten up and prevent giving up these big plays in the future.

 

Still, the offensive production was impressive - 721 total yards on 375 rushing and 346 passing.  The Buckeyes have their Big Ten opener next week against Rutgers, followed by an early-season showdown at #16 TCU in Dallas on Week 3.

GAME 2:  OHIO STATE 52 - RUTGERS 3

 

http://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore?gameId=401012821

 

Two words: total domination.

 

Offensively Dwayne Haskins had another superb game going 20/23 for 233 yds and 4 TDs.  Dual-threat backup Tate Martell also went 10/10 for 121 yds with a 51-yd TD pass and a highlight reel 47-yd rushing TD.

 

Defensively the Buckeyes didn't give up the big plays like in the opener and smothered anything Rutgers tried, forcing two INTs.  They couldn't block Bosa throughout the 35-0 first half.  Bosa had 1 sack and a bunch of hurries, while Chase Young on the opposite side got 2 sacks.

 

OSU had 579 total yards to Rutgers' 134 in their Big Ten opener.  Now on to Dallas for a week 3 matchup with #16 TCU.

OSU probable playoff team. Dominant roster.

#4 Ohio State travels to DFW to face #15 TCU tonight.

 

Regular-season games don't get much bigger than this one:  Two top 15 teams - Prime-time ABC broadcast spot - ESPN's College GameDay on the TCU campus - Game being played 18 miles east at AT&T Stadium (aka Dallas Cowboys Stadium; aka Jerry's World).

 

The betting line has been OSU as a 12 to 13 point favorite over TCU.  We'll see, but these early season games are hard to predict.  The Buckeyes have been nothing less than dominant in their first two wins - 77-31 over Oregon State and 52-3 over Rutgers.  However both of those teams are nowhere near the quality of Texas Christian University.

 

The Horned Frogs have looked nearly as impressive in their two games - a 55-7 win over Southern in their opener and then a 42-12 win over Southern Methodist University in which TCU got off to a slow start but scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to win the Battle for the Iron Skillet (aka The Dallas Derby; aka The Battle of Religions that are virtually identical)

 

So both teams faced weaker opponents in the opening two weeks and won convincingly, with OSU's opponents being slightly better and their wins being slightly better than TCU's.  But this is an early measuring stick matchup for both teams, with TCU in a virtual home game for them.  If you're wondering why TCU is forgoing playing a home game at their 45,000-seat only 18 miles away - both teams are reportedly being paid $5 million to play this one-off match-up in the 80,000-seat (100,000-capacity) Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

 

11W Scouting Report:  https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018/09/96288/scouting-report-tcu-led-by-explosive-offensive-playmakers-disruptive-defensive-front

Number 11 for Ohio State is just awful.  How can you be a WR and not be able tp catch.  He killed drives and drop a TD pass right in his hands yet the key him in the game.

Number 11 for Ohio State is just awful.  How can you be a WR and not be able tp catch.  He killed drives and drop a TD pass right in his hands yet the key him in the game.

 

That number 11 (Austin Mack) had an "interesting" game.  He caught a difficult 48-yd pass in OSU's first drive - and then followed it with three dropped passes that were right to his hands.  When he caught a pass late in the second quarter, the many Buckeye fans at Jerry's World gave him a mock standing ovation!  Mack ended up with 4 catches for 84 yards.

GAME 3:  OHIO STATE 40 - TCU 28

 

http://www.espn.com/college-football/playbyplay?gameId=401013074

 

An entertaining shootout in Big D - both teams had over 500 total yards of offense.  But it was two defensive TD's created by the OSU defensive line that determined the game.  TCU also committed three total turnovers (2 INT, 1 fumble), while OSU had none.

 

The Buckeyes got off to an early 10-0 lead before TCU fought back to hold a slim 14-13 at halftime.  When TCU went up 21-13 in the third quarter, it looked like momentum had swung to the Horned Frogs.  But then OSU scored 20 points within a 4 minute stretch on 2 offensive TD's and one defensive TD to take control of the game.  The backbreaker was a 28-yd pick-6 by d-tackle Dre'Mont Jones on a TCU short shovel pass that got blowed up real good.

 

In the first quarter, Nick Bosa got to the TCU QB at their goal line to force a fumble that OSU recovered in the endzone for the other defensive TD of the night.  Bosa suffered a pulled groin at the beginning of the second half and was out for the remainder of the game.  No clue how long Bosa will be out.  They won't need him against Tulsa next week, but Penn State looms in two weeks.

 

If any d-unit can weather the loss of a player like Bosa, its the talented and deep d-line.  That unit was the MVP of this game.  However, the back 7 unit of linebackers and d-backs got gashed for big plays by the super quick TCU skill players.  The stellar OSU d-line creating two TD's and OSU's offense being effective with zero turnovers was enough to counteract those big TCU plays in last night's win.  Haskins again looked sharp going 24/38 for 344 yards with 2 passing TD's and one rushing TD.  Texas native J.K. Dobbins led the rushing attack with 18 carries for 121 yards.

Bosa is out this week against Tulane.

Very Stable Genius

GAME 4:  OHIO STATE 49 - TULANE 6

 

http://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore?gameId=401013346

 

This Tulane game situated between last weekend's big game at TCU and next weekend's big game at Penn State had the potential to be a trap game.  It wasn't.

 

The OSU offense was like a hot knife thru a buttery Tulane defense.  OSU reeled off 6 TD drives of 91, 56, 93, 75, 81, & 59 yards in all six of their first half possessions to lead 42-6 at halftime.  Then OSU just shut it down - sitting their first-team players for the entire second half.  Below is stat line for QB Dwayne Haskins - for the first half!  Receiver Parris Campbell put up similar stellar first half numbers with 8 catches for 147 yards and 2 TD's.

 

44869615041_ae0da52360_d.jpg

 

QB Dwayne Haskins is off to an amazing start.  In his first four games, he is 87 for 115 (75.7 comp %) for 1194 yards with 16 TD's and only 1 INT.  And that sole INT came in the first game of the season!  Beyond the numbers, Haskins looks poised and polished with a strong arm, an accurate thrower with terrific footwork in the pocket and good accuracy outside the pocket.  So far, he has been the total package.

 

The only downer came in the 2nd quarter when the back of RB Mike Weber's right ankle was landed on as he ran out-of-bounds.  Weber was limping noticeably as went to the OSU sideline and he did not return.  At that point in the game, OSU didn't need him to return, so it is possible he might be okay to provide of double RB threat with Dobbins for the Penn State.  But Weber's injury bears watching next week.

Huge game tonight at Happy Valley between #4 Ohio State and #9 Penn State. 

 

Massive CFB Playoff implications, according to ESPN's playoff predictor below:

 

31118563108_80fc4c0803_o_d.png

Tonight's game features the second-highest scoring offense (Ohio State at just under 55 pts/game) against the highest scoring offense (Penn State at just over 55 pts/game).  The betting line has OSU favored by 3.5 (O/U is 70).  The ESPN game predictor has PSU favored 52%/48%.

 

But the prediction that people really want to see is the Corso headgear pick.  College GameDay was in Happy Valley.  He previously picked the Brutus Buckeye head against TCU.  But today, he did a rare double fake-out:

 

Corso grabbed a Nittany Lion head...

31118559848_f37832aeef_o_d.png

 

...and then threw it away.

44942524192_f7c2d91057_o_d.png

 

But instead of grabbing a Brutus Buckeye head - he grabbed another Nittany Lion head and put it on!

44942520792_2965d4fea7_o_d.png

 

And there was much rejoicing in Happy Valley!

44942515422_6f6657f11a_o_d.png

That one was worth staying up late for.

^ You said it.  That was an amazing game!

 

Highlight video:

 

GAME #5:  OHIO STATE 27 - PENN STATE 26

 http://www.espn.com/college-football/playbyplay?gameId=401013347

 

Despite the two top offenses in CFB facing each other, both teams only put up 27 total points through three quarters.  But it set up an amazing 26-point fourth quarter in a game that went down to the wire with a close finish.

 

Penn State totally dominated OSU in the first half.  PSU had nearly 300 yards in total offense with a highlight reel catch, a 93-yard TD pass off a short pass with a long run, and got an OSU interception.  OSU only had less than 100 yards by halftime.  But PSU didn't take full advantage of their first half dominance.  PSU's first two drives only yielded short FG's instead of TD's - and they had a critical fumble turnover late in the half (off a great Tuf Borland tackle) that allowed an OSU TD.  So despite PSU's dominance, they only led 13-7 at halftime.

 

OSU's offense struggled to move the ball in the first half.  PSU's aggressive defense stuffed the Buckeyes running game and pressured Haskins in the pocket so much they couldn't make down-the-field completions.  But in the second half, the Buckeyes started to use that aggressiveness against the Penn State defense.  The OSU offense switched to a short-passing game featuring lots of screen passes and short passes with lots of YAC.  With this modified attack, OSU mounted a 75-yd TD drive to begin the third quarter and take a 14-13 lead.

 

But Penn State wasn't done yet.  They had two TD drives early in the 4th-quarter to take a 26-14 lead with 8:00 remaining.  But on the very next drive, the play-of-the-game occurred for the Buckeyes.  At just under the 7:00 mark, with OSU driving to the PSU 47-yd line, Dwayne Haskins was pressured in the pocket.  On the move and slightly off-balance, Haskins throws across his body to Binjimen Victor at around the 35-yard line.  Victor runs toward the sideline, gets some blocks, moves back toward the center, avoids some defenders, and takes it to the house to keep the Buckeyes alive at 26-21.

The Buckeye defense held on Penn State's next drive.  But a PSU punt pinned the ball at the OSU 4-yard line.  So OSU got the ball with 4:34 left and 96 yards to span for a go-ahead TD.  OSU got a big 35-yard screen pass to Dobbins to start the drive.  Then kept grinding forward until they had the ball 3rd and 5 at the PSU 24-yd line with 2:11 remaining - to set up the game-winning play.  OSU had three receivers spread wide right.  The PSU defender on K.J. Hill was about 11 yards off him.  Haskins threw in the flat to Hill and, with blockers ahead of him, jukes a defender and sprints down the sideline to put the Buckeyes up 27-26.

 

Penn State had one more drive and advanced it to the OSU 43, where they had a 4th and 5 with 1:22 remaining.  PSU choose an interior running play that was stuffed by the Buckeye defense to clinch the victory.  What a struggle.  But what a victory in the toughest of CFB road games in front of the 110,000+ white-out crowd in Happy Valley!

GAME #6:  OHIO STATE 49 - INDIANA 26

http://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore?gameId=401012855

 

The Buckeyes avoided a post-Penn State victory letdown like what happened last year at Iowa.  This game was closer than the final score suggests (it was 28-20 at halftime), but then OSU's offense gained steam in the second half and pulled away.  Haskins had a career day (short career but still) with 33/44 for 455 yards with 6 TD's & 2 INT's.  The 2 int's and a lost fumble are something to work on.  As is the OSU defense's penchant for giving up big gain plays.

Interesting recap but the running game is so frustrating to watch.  The box recap from last week's game shows 39 carries for Weber/Dobbins but it seems like they are too late to establish the run with designed run plays...  they have run/read options but those seem to get blown up more often than not.  When we had Cardale Jones and Zeke Elliot, it was the perfect 1-2 punch.  Pound the ball, draw the defense up/slow the pass rush, then passing game is open/hit receivers in man coverage for big plays.

 

Instead it seems like we have fits & starts to get offensive rhythm, fall behind in the down & distance, forced into passing situations, get full blitzed...  defense sits on short routes..  Haskins is making great plays in spite of this but it's still tough to watch.  

 

Defense is equally frustrating to watch.  Secondary seems to be trying too hard to implement schemes and keeps getting caught out of position allowing big plays.  Can't underestimate what the loss of Bosa has meant to the defense but it doesn't feel like we have a standout LB or two like we've had in prior years either....

 

Really need to keep getting better as year progresses and hopefully stay healthy

 

I agree with Urban - this team has not come close to it's potential.

GAME #7:  OHIO STATE 30 - MINNESOTA 14

http://www.espn.com/college-football/playbyplay?gameId=401013331

 

Maybe this was the trap game after the big PSU win.  It was too close for comfort until nearly the end of the game.

 

The running game was ineffective.  But the passing game was still playing at an elite level.  Haskins went 33/44 for 412 yds and 3 TD's, while K.J. Hill had 9 catches for 187 yds and 2 TD's - one of those a ridiculous one-handed catch that gave OSU the lead for good in the 2nd quarter.

 

The defense still allowed too much yardage and big plays - but did force Minnesota into three turnovers (2 INT's & 1 fumble).

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018/10/97773/nick-bosa-will-not-return-to-ohio-state-this-season-instead-focusing-on-nfl-draft-per-report

 

Disappointing news - before his injury Bosa was on track to have a historically great year - but I can't disagree with his decision.  This was basically a season-ending injury (his dad said he would have been out until at least mid-December).  It would have been great if he could have returned for a CFB playoff game - but with so little time to return to game shape - and with a top 5 draft pick in the balance if he re-injures himself - its a smart move to shut it down and focus on getting healthy for the draft combine.

GAME #8:  OHIO STATE 20 - PURDUE 49

http://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore?gameId=401013348

 

This year's "Iowa game" was in Purdue.  The Buckeyes offense over-reliance on passing and the defense's weaknesses caught up to them in West Lafayette.  Haskins had 470 passing yards - but he got it on a school-record completions (49) and school-record attempts (73).  The offense just could not move the ball on the ground.  This contributed to the Buckeyes 0/4 redzone TD chances.

 

While the Buckeyes were kicking field goals, the Boilermakers were scoring touchdowns.  After losing their first three games by a total of seven points, Purdue is starting to catch its groove with four straight wins.  And they sure caught Ohio State last night.

The loss to Purdue didn't eliminate the Buckeyes playoff hopes, but Ohio State's chance to reach the playoffs dropped 47 percentage points - so says ESPN Analytics:

 

45422419982_29583c3b19_d.jpg

linebackers were non existent in the Purdue game.  Big runs right up the middle going untouched...  pass rush was consistent but Blough was excellent at extending the plays.

 

Sooo many problems with this team.  I knew they were overrated but hoped they would continue to improve.  Instead they got totally exposed.  If they can't make major corrections, I don't see how they beat UM.  

Outside of the D-Line, which has taken a bit of a hit with Bosa straight up leaving school and a few other injuries, and Haskins...this team is average to mediocre across the board.

 

31-0.  55-28.  49-20.  Urban allows his team, which is consistently in the top 3 in recruiting classes (so the talent is there), to suffer some absolutely horrendous losses.  It's clear from the games when he was suspended that Ryan Day is a superior offensive coordinator and Urban is sabotaging those efforts in play-calling.

 

Either Urban needs to change or he's done here as a national title contender.

Very Stable Genius

Seems like the general consensus is that OSU needs to focus on the run game more and adjust the linebacker schemes.  Fixing those two things cures a lot of problems.  This team is still missing a few pieces from being a national powerhouse but I hope they can find a way to improve and win out the regular season.  I'd love to see them dominate NW or whomever emerges from Big Ten West.

 

11warriors says OSU has been working on running plays and blocking techniques all week, time for it to pay off.  Looking forward to seeing that.

 

Paul Finebaum also said on ESPN he's hearing rumors this will be Meyer's last year.  Internal strife at OSU, stress from the job, who knows.  Surprising to hear I think

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018/10/98290/urban-meyer-opens-up-about-severe-health-concerns-but-plans-to-coach-as-long-as-he-can

 

https://www.buckeyextra.com/sports/20181030/ohio-state-football-urban-meyer-says-cyst-causes-severe-headaches-but-hell-coach-as-long-as-i-can

 

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/25118415/ohio-state-buckeyes-coach-urban-meyer-says-plans-coaching-next-season

 

After fielding questions this week about his health and future as Ohio State's head coach, Urban Meyer met with a small group of reporters Tuesday to talk about the the severity of his health condition.  Meyer revealed he has been dealing with severe headaches caused by an enlarged arachnoid cyst in his brain, but despite this, he plans to remain the head coach at Ohio State as long as he can.

 

The cyst is not cancerous or malignant but is a congenital condition that he had been dealing with since 1998 and underwent brain surgery in 2014 to relieve the headaches caused by it.  Meyer told reporters he does not plan to have another surgery, and said “we’ll cross that bridge” if it’s needed in the future and said he takes medicine every day to manage the symptoms.

 

The cyst flared up during Ohio State’s win against Indiana, causing Meyer to go to his knees and hold the left side of his head.  He has not gone down to the ground due to headaches stemming from the cyst during any other games.  However, the Columbus Dispatch wrote that sources told them that has happened during practices this year.

GAME #9: OHIO STATE 36 - NEBRASKA 31

http://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore?gameId=401013341

 

After a bye week, the Buckeyes were back in black (uniforms).  After the Purdue loss, in which the Buckeye offense only got 76 rushing yards, the team was looking to re-establish their ground game.  And they did with 229 rushing yards in this game, led by J.K. Dobbins with a career-high 163 yards and 3 TD's.  But mistakes and turnovers hampered also hampered the offense.  A total of 6 fumbles(!) led to 2 turnovers, plus one interception.  Just when it looked like Ohio State was ready to take control of the game, key turnovers stymied them.  Nebraska ended up keeping it close until the end.

Overall, it was an improvement from the Purdue game but I think even casual fans expected much more from OSU after a bye week, facing a 2 win team at home.  Yes they established the run more and did a better job at containing big plays but the defense still looked porous, Nebraska drove the ball pretty much at will in the first half.  I know the defense has fought through some injuries but it's still baffling how many issues this team has - talent, preparation, game planning, effort/execution...  all seem to be lacking.  

 

I'm shocked to see OSU open as a 5.5 point favorite on the road at MSU this coming week.  Regardless of how that goes, I don't see them improving enough to beat Michigan this year who seems to be playing better & better each week

GAME #10:  OHIO STATE 26 - MICHIGAN STATE 6

http://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore?gameId=401012886

 

This was some vintage cold weather Big Ten football in East Lansing.  The OSU MVP was probably the punter.  He had six punts that pinned MSU inside their 10-yard line, and two punts that pinned the Spartans at their 1!  One of those MSU drives that started at their 1 netted zero yards and led MSU Coach Dantonio to snap the ball out of the end zone rather than punt it!

 

That safety gave OSU a 9-6 lead in the third quarter and it was all OSU after that.  The Buckeye defense came up strong against a weak MSU offense.  And though Haskins had another good game, it was the running game that salted the win away in the fourth quarter.  Weber had 104 yards with 1 TD - and Tate Martell reappeared to give the running attack another option.

Buckeyes are trending upward and seem to be fixing some of the big mistakes on defense, developing a running game, and are working hard to get TD's in the red zone, obviously with the introduction of Martell as a running QB.

 

Still hard to say how much they've improved from the Purdue game.   

 - MSU is not as good of a team as they've been in recent past.

 - Nebraska scored 50+?

 - Purdue laid an egg against Minnesota?

It's amazing the coaching staff had, what, 9 months to develop a plan for the offense that revolved around a non-runner at QB (Haskins), implemented that offense well for the first three weeks, and hasn't figured out to stop calling zone reads with Haskins in at QB.  Curious.

Very Stable Genius

GAME #11:  OHIO STATE 52 - MARYLAND 51 (OT)

http://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/401012878

 

WHEW!!!  The Buckeyes survive a wild game in College Park in which they made almost every kind of miscue a football team can make.  Here's a brief rundown of the miscues:

 

- Give up two loooong TD runs early in the game

- Give up an on-side kick recovery

- Give up a fake punt play for a first down

- Give up a Pick-6

- Give up two fumble turnovers

- Commit a pass interference penalty when they stopped the other team on fourth down late in the game that eventually turned into a TD

 

But despite all of that, the Buckeye tied it up 45-45 with a minute left in regulation.  OSU scored a TD in OT.  Maryland also scored a TD, but decided to go for 2 and couldn't convert.

 

A thrilling game - but not one for fans of defense.  103 overall points and 1223 overall yards (688 for OSU - 535 for Maryland).  Dobbins had 37 carries for 203 yards (Weber didn't play due to an undisclosed injury).  Maryland native Dwayne Haskins went 28 of 38 for 405 yards and 3 passing TDs plus 15 carries for 59 yards and 3 rushing TDs!

I have zero confidence heading into the Michigan game.  Haven't said that since 2011.  This team is all kinds of awful, coasting by on an easy schedule thus far.

Very Stable Genius

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